Changes to Building Regulations for homes on the way – what to expect and when

29 April 2021

Installers of heating and ventilation systems in buildings need to be ready for the planned changes to Part L (Energy Conservation) and Part F (Ventilation) of the Building Regulations for new and existing dwellings to ensure that they continue to deliver compliant systems to their customers.

There have been a number of consultations and announcements over recent months, with the main focus being on significant changes for new buildings that are intended to come into force in 2025.

Ahead of that there will be interim changes to the Regulations that will come into force early in 2022. Of course, there are further complications in that Building Regulations is a devolved issue (meaning that England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland set their own version of the Regulations) and because there are different parts of the Regulations dealing with new and existing buildings, split between dwellings and non-residential buildings.   

Below summarises what is happening for the regulations as they apply to homes:

1. Spring 2022 (Wales) and June 2022 (England) – Revised Part L and Part F for new dwellings come into force.

Key changes (both England and Wales except where indicated):

  • (England) New homes will produce 31% less CO2 emissions compared to current standards.
  • (Wales) New homes will produce 37% less CO2 emissions compared to current standards.
  • New heating systems to be designed to operate at a flowrate temperature of 55°C or lower.
  • Revised method of setting minimum ventilation standards and naming of ventilation system types.
  • Minimum standards for compliance will now be covered in the Approved Documents. Compliance Guides will no longer be produced.

 

2. Spring 2022 (Wales) and June 2022 (England) – Revised Part L and Part F for existing dwellings come into force.

The consultation for existing homes in Wales closed on 17 February 2021. The consultation for existing homes in England closed on 13 April 2021. Government responses to both of these are expected later in 2021.

Key changes consulted on (both England and Wales except where indicated):

  • Higher minimum standards for new and replacement thermal elements (i.e. walls, floors, roofs) and controlled fittings (e.g. windows, rooflights and doors).
  • (Wales) Boiler Plus requirements for gas boiler efficiencies and additional controls to be introduced for replacement combination boilers.
  • New regulation to be introduced requiring ‘self-regulating devices’ (e.g. TRVs) to be installed on heating systems when a boiler (or other heat generator) is replaced.
  • Installation of new heating systems and replacement boilers should be based on an appropriate heat loss calculation for the building and not be significantly oversized.
  • More specific guidance to be introduced on requirements for ventilation in existing dwellings when energy efficiency measures are being installed.
  • Minimum standards for compliance will now be covered in the Approved Documents. Compliance Guides will no longer be produced.

 

3. 2025 (England and Wales) – Future Homes Standard for new homes to come into force.

Initial standards have been consulted on, but consultation on the full technical specification will take place in 2023.

Key proposals:

  • New homes built to the Future Homes Standard will produce at least 75% less CO2 emissions compared to 2014 standards.
  • Performance standards will be set so that new homes will be built with low carbon heating (e.g. heat pumps and heat networks.)
  • New homes will be future proofed so that no further energy efficiency retrofit work will be needed to enable them to become zero-carbon.

A detailed summary for BEAMA members can be downloaded on the right hand side of this page. 

This resource is for BEAMA members only

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